West Ham 1-3 Manchester City: Reigning champions take advantage of Arsenal slip thanks to Erling Haaland hattrick
Manchester City capitalized on Arsenal's draw with Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the day with an emphatic 3-1 win over West Ham United. It came in their Premier League clash at the London Stadium on Saturday, August 31.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland took his tally for the season to seven from three games in what looks set to be another impressive season. He opened the scoring for Manchester City in the 10th minute before the hosts drew level nine minutes later through a Ruben Dias own goal.
The east London side couldn't take parity into the break though. The Norwegian goal machine restored the visitors' lead on the half-hour mark before wrapping up the scoring in the 83rd minute.
Manchester City player ratings:
Ederson Moraes - 7.5/10
The Brazilian keeper made two saves and conceded one goal in the match, but put on a fine showing in the London Stadium. He also completed 86% of his passes and made four recoveries from his 41 touches.
Manuel Akanji - 7.5/10
The Swiss defender completed 96 out of 100 passes attempted from his 104 touches of the ball. He made three recoveries, but his performance was a lesson in what a ball-playing defender does on the pitch.
Ruben Diaz - 7/10
The 27-year-old defender had a good game despite his own goal. He completed 92% of his passes and made five recoveries from his 90 touches.
Josko Gvardiol - 7.5/10
The Croatian defender had a fine game for the reigning champions in his 88 minutes on the pitch. He completed 95% of his passes and won 67% of his tackles in a solid display.
Mateo Kovacic - 8/10
The Croatian was the beating heart of the Manchester City midfield. He completed 93 out of 97 passes and had 110 touches in the game.
Rico Lewis - 8/10
Rico Lewis had a fine game and showed himself as a defensive stalwart who could replace Kyle Walker one day. He completed the most tackles, three out of four, and won six ground duels in the game.
Jeremy Doku - 8/10
The 22-year-old Belgian was a nightmare to face one-on-one today. He completed the most dribbles in the game (4) and the most duels (7) in the game.
Kevin De Bruyne - 8.5 /10
The Belgian had a brilliant game alongside Bernado Silva today for Manchester City. he had 107 touches in the game, completed 68 out of 80 passes, created six chances, and struck the woodwork once.
Bernardo Silva - 9/10
The Portuguese maestro was brilliant today for the visitors. He completed 68 out of 73 attempted passes, bagging an assist, and getting 87 touches in the game. He proved pivotal to how the game flowed and was truly a joy to watch.
Jack Grealish - 7.5/10
Jack Grealish had a fine game for Manchester City, completing 36 out of 39 passes for the reigning champions. He also managed to win possession five times and would have a much higher rating if he played in a less-perfect team. However, exceptional performances are par for the course with this team and he makes do with a 7.5.
Erling Haaland - 10/10
Every defense has a plan until they come face-to-face with Erling Haaland. The Norwegian bagged a hattrick in a second consecutive game from five shots in this bout. He had just 21 touches in the game and found a way to win two tackles, recovering possession once.
Manchester City Substitutes
Ilkay Gundogan - 8/10
The returning prodigal son came on for 22 minutes in the second half and was impressive for Manchester City. He completed all 26 passes he attempted, made one recovery, and completed one dribble with just 29 touches.
Matheus Nunes - 8.5/10
The Portuguese midfielder made a fine cameo after coming off the bench. He bagged an assist from his 19 touches and completed 12 out of 14 passes in his 18 minutes on the pitch.
Kyle Walker - NA
The veteran defender came on late and completed nine out of 10 passes from his 12 touches in the game.
Nathan Ake - NA
The Dutch defender came on late and made no real difference to the fate of the game. He did manage four out of five passes from 10 touches and won one tackle.